THOMAS PODVIN’S FREELANCE WORK
Freelance writer - translator - Editor

In Isabella, Pang Ho-cheung, known in Chinese entertainment circles as a deadpan comedy director, tries something completely different: family drama. The plot concerns a cop based in Macao (Chapman To), a bachelor whose personal and professional life is a mess. One fine day he meets a young woman (Isabella Leong), who claims to be the daughter of a girlfriend he impregnated sixteen years ago. Pang spends on average a full year to complete a movie, extremely slow by Hong Kong standards. But not by Western standards, especially considering that Pang acts as director, writer and producer on most of his films. In Isabella, Pang’s sixth film, he combines drama and nostalgia, with a dash of comedy in a highly-stylized personal flick. The visuals, as always with this thirty-something filmmaker, are stunning. But his most impressive achievement here is to push both lead actors – 17 year-old teen idol Leong and legendary comedian To – to deliver the greatest performances of their careers. With help from a solid supporting cast, Isabella offers depth and genuine emotions in one of the best Hong Kong dramas released in years.
Media Asia

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
June 2006 issue

Of late, most Chinese films fall in one of two categories: the flashy blockbuster or the intellectual art-house flick (in the main, aimed at the foreign film festival market). You and Me is no blockbuster, nor is it another dreary grab for offshore recognition. This film pleases both domestic and Western audiences. Produced on a small budget, You and Me relates the conflicting coexistence between a sharp, elderly widow and her young, bullheaded tenant. The deceptively simple plot – the landlady rents her dilapidated Beijing siheyuan for an excessive fee to the student – takes place in a single locale over four seasons, and is devoted to the pair’s daily clash of wills (wonderfully illustrating the Chinese saying: ‘two tigresses cannot stay on the same mountain’). Ma draws on her own experience as a student at the Central Drama Academy in the 1990s, and the story is full of deadpan humor, sparks of tension and bursts of non-contrived emotions. There are no extravagant twists or cliff-hangers here; the accent is on detail (despite the limited budget the film is exquisitely lit). You and Me may not have earned millions in box office receipts, but it does prove that a simple human story is at the heart of good filmmaking.
Beijing Film Studio

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
June 2006 issue

(c) that's PRD
PRD Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
June 2006 issue

In the midst of the Korean War, a US Navy pilot and five Korean soldiers – from both sides of the conflict – arrive at a peaceful village inhabited by some rather strange peasants, who are completely unaware there’s a war in progress. The plot may suggest an offbeat comedy, but this 133 minute film is an exercise in disappointment. The main problem is that the director wavers between fantasy and reality, never choosing a side. Once the initial surprise is exhausted – the military’s discovery of the village – the film descends into a series of predictable, hackneyed situations. True, the eccentricities of the villagers, do, on occasion, add some much-needed spice, but overall the characters are so obviously contrived that much of the humor is lost. As is the viewers goodwill; Welcome poses as a fable, but at the same time pretends to present historical reality. The result is a naïve and bogus representation of the relations between North and South Korea, and the US. Having said that, Park Kwang-hyeon’s directorial debut, the fourth-highest grossing South Korean movie of all time, was the country’s official entry in last year’s Oscars.
Showbox

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
June 2006 issue

(c) that's PRD
PRD Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
June 2006 issue

That a TV-series concerning gambling and corruption is exciting should come as no surprise. Throw in a crack surveillance team under the leadership of a former CIA agent assigned to spy on Las Vegas’ most prestigious casino and audiences are sure to tune in. But Gary Scott Thompson’s (The Fast and the Furious) series surpasses all expectations: the show is bright, ultra-cool, fast-paced and – classy. It also offers an insider’s view of the trade secrets in this sinful tourist mecca. The elite surveillance team is led by veteran actor Golden-Globe/Academy-Awards nominee James Caan (The Godfather, Rollerball), who along with his protégés – a former US Marine and three babes – deal with card-counting cheats; the mob; big spenders; luck, good and bad; inter-casino rivalries, and their own rollercoaster love lives. All of which provides a surfeit of thrills, romance and humor. Each episode begins with a marvelous hook: a one-take-only prologue, neatly wrapped in dazzling visuals. That alone is enough to engage audiences for the duration, but special guest stars (Black Eyed Peas, Sylvester Stallone, Pussycat Dolls…) ensure a long and, in this case, rewarding addiction to vice.
NBC

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
June 2006 issue

Compared to their Chinese counterparts, Korean filmmakers aren’t very adept at making martial art films (see Musa or The Duelist). And Shadowless Sword provides yet another conspicuous example of what not to do. This film was shot in China, enjoyed a large budget and has excellent production values. Trouble is, it lacks authenticity without which audiences just don’t care about the characters. Or the mise en scene: in 926 AD, following the assassination of the Prince of Balhae, a female warrior is assigned to escort Prince Dae back from his 14-year exile, to ascend the throne and restore order to the kingdom. The rest is filler. In his sophomore film, Kim Yeong-joon delivers a simplistic road movie cum buddy movie/romance/martial art film. One littered with predictable twists and monotonous dialogues. Despite the film’s many faults, the camerawork is quite breathtaking, and the climax is almost worth waiting for. But the choreographed action sequences merely duplicate scenes from its betters, so-called gems of the genre like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers.
CJ Entertainment

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
June 2006 issue

(c) that's PRD
PRD Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
June 2006 issue

Although popular with audiences, Hong Kong comedies have never really been highly praised by critics on the Chinese mainland. These films are at worst considered shallow, lowbrow, amusement, and at best, the source of a few guilt-inducing guffaws. 2 Become 1 may not be a revolutionary departure from this genre, but it does provide more substance than is the norm, enough to last beyond the theater exit door. The plot concerns a young, independent woman, Bingo (Miriam Yeung), who works as a ‘creative’ at an advertisement company. Her carefree chuppie lifestyle is turned upside down after a laid back doctor (Richie Jen) discovers a lump in her breast. Produced by seasoned filmmaker Johnnie To, renowned for his commercial comedies and ‘auteur’ gangster flicks, the film uses comedy to deal with serious matters indeed: breast tumors; cancer prevention; male impotency; women in today’s corporate world, and so on. Of course, the film offers the usual sight gags and the usual broad commercial reach with two big name leads, a pop music score, and not least, the screen debut of Hong Kong’s singer/songwriter superstar of the month, Justin Lo. Nevertheless, 2 Become 1 proves HK comedies can convey universal themes with maturity and if not tact, at least some understanding.
Media Asia

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
June 2006 issue

(c) that's PRD
PRD Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
June 2006 issue